Unicef to assist Sindh govt on seven water supply schemes

The Sindh government and the Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) on Friday signed an agreement under which the latter would assist the government in restoring seven water supply schemes in three districts of the province.

The agreement was signed between the Sindh government’s Public Health Engineering and Rural Development Department and the Unicef.

The water supply schemes were situated in districts Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze on a total cost of Rs168 million.

Sindh Minister for Public Health Engineering and Rural Development Fayaz Ali Butt said the agreement was a major step for supplying clean drinking water to Sindh’s residents.

Similar projects to improve and restore water supply schemes would be launched in other districts of the province as well, he claimed.

He said work on the projects covered under the agreement would soon be launched.

The chief field officer of the Unicef who signed the agreement on behalf of the UN’s subsidiary organisation said the Unicef would also provide assistance to other similar developmental projects of the province. Sindh Secretary for (PHE&RD) Tameezuddin Khero signed the agreement on behalf of the provincial govt.

Machinery from China

Sindh LG Minister Jam Khan Shoro called on the Sindh CM and briefed him about the arrival of garbage lifting machinery in Karachi from China. 

The CM directed the relevant authorities to launch the project related to mechanical sweep and garbage disposal in districts South and East within the next three weeks. The project of mechanical sweeping in the two districts of the city would be launched by a Chinese company under the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board.

The local government minister informed the CM that the first batch of equipment and machinery for the project had reached at the Karachi Port, which comprises 200 small vehicles, 77 vehicles for refuse collection and disposal, a large number of plastic and steel dustbins both for municipal and household usage. The fleet also includes vehicles which would be used for cleaning and sweeping of roads and washing of trees.

The CM directed the minister to get the machinery and vehicles cleared from the port and brought them in the city for their usage.

In a separate statement, Shoro said the entire batch of equipment and machinery would reach at the Karachi Port by January 10, 2017. He said the contracting Chinese company would not layoff any workers of the municipal agencies concerned of District East and South in the city. He said the Chinese company would offer special service and salary packages to the municipal workers.